Struggling to make a name for yourself as a (relatively) young photographer is quite challenging, as we all know. One of the main challenges of this convoluted process is developing your own voice. In an age where visual information seems to prime and the old cliché about a picture being “worth a thousand words” seems truer than ever, this shouldn’t be too hard. Unfortunately, against this apparent set of good premises, there are so many other aspiring photographers out there, that things are often harder than they seem to the outside world. This increased competition is precisely why developing a unique voice as an entry level photographer is crucial in securing a spot on the photography market and in transitioning from an amateur to a pro.

In the effort to develop a more unique voice, you need to secure yourself a photography niche; but in order to make your work more known within the field, you are required to invest a different kind of efforts. While the first task requires more artistic vision, in addition to a good knowledge of what other photographers in the game are currently doing and what the main trends are, the second task of promoting your work has more to do with marketing strategies. Indeed, knowing how to bring the right people’s gaze upon your work can be the key difference between a success story and an ordinary one. Today we will give you a hint on how to promote your work better, besides using social media and such: why don’t you try to curate a themed gallery of photos somewhere?

Yes, it might sound like a huge plan and a costly one too, or at least too costly for an amateur photographer aspiring to go pro. Don’t worry, while it’s true that a professionally organized photo gallery can require quite an investment, no one is expecting you to host one of those. On the plus side, you might even have more appeal by adding an indie charm to yours precisely by not making it a traditional established kind of gallery. The underground air of the whole thing will work in your favor, especially if you’re a relatively young photographer with a fresh approach or a controversial theme.

As to how exactly would it help you gain more exposure if you were to curate a themed gallery, this is how it works. You think of the theme in your photographs that you like best, or which is the most interesting and fit for a whole story; in other words, something which would qualify to put you into a certain niche. After picking it, you select 4 or 5 photos of yours that best illustrate that vibe and think of how you could highlight them when you’ll curate a themed gallery to be built more or less around those picks. Next, you launch a call for contributions to all photographers who may be looking for ways to become more visible as well. The only condition will be respecting the theme (and not asking for money from you, obviously, but you should make it clear that this is a no-profit event).

The rest are just organizational details which may seem prohibitive at first, but after you manage to relax you’ll see that they’re not so impossible to work out. So what if you can’t afford to actually rent a place to curate a themed gallery in? Do it at your place or a friend’s house, if it’s big and cozy enough. Heck, do it in an abandoned factory or a cool underground venture, whatever. Just make sure to send invites to all the people in the business and especially to photography magazines which you’d like to see featuring your event. Good luck with everything and don’t fret with the preparations more than necessary.

“I know I should choose a niche – I read your advice and it really makes sense to me. But I don’t know how to do it. I’ve been photographing for two years, and so far
I’ve taken portraits – babies, families, seniors, business – weddings, a little commercial work, and a few events, like bar/bat mitzvahs and corporate events. I love
the weddings, but they don’t give me enough income. I like portraits, especially
the babies and seniors. And I’ve even had some fun with corporate shoots – I did
one for a catalog that was a lot of fun. Should I limit myself and “niche” or
should I keep going the way I’m going?”

When you first get into the photography business, shooting a little bit of everything comes natural. Someone calls for a portrait, so you shoot that. They call for a wedding, so you shoot that. Commercial work? Sure, why not?

The problem lies in who you are as a business, how you brand yourself, and how you come across to your clientele.

If you are a generalist, and you take pretty much anything that comes through your door, the people you are out networking with will think of you as a generalist. And as such, you are easily forgettable.

But if you specialize – niche – your business to do one thing, everyone around you learns about that one thing in great detail.

Imagine a generalist at a lead networking group. Over six weeks, the people around her would hear: [Read more…]

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